1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to athletic equipment and, more particularly, to a foot kick sack on a tether.
2. Description of the Related Art
The sport/toy industry is a multibillion dollar, global industry that is continually growing as more and more products are developed and introduced to the buying public. The sport/toy industry is somewhat unique in the sense that it is highly susceptible to trendy products or fads. This is due most likely to the fact that children fall easily to peer pressure and, as a result, when a toy product achieves a certain level of popularity from children to adult, demand can skyrocket. This is not necessarily to say that these products require revolutionary or innovative designs. Otherwise conventional products have achieved enormous, even record, popularity based primarily on their attractiveness to the market. Another toy, finding increased popularity in recent times, is that of the foot bag or "HACKY SACK.TM.". While these toys are great fun, they do require a bit of skill before they can be enjoyed. Accordingly, a need has developed for new toys and improvements or even for sport training devices. The foot bag on a tether is such a device.
In the related art, there exists patents for games wherein a toy is attached on the end of a tether attached to the user's waist. None of these patents have a soft, foot bag attached at the end of a elastic, coiled tether as in the present invention.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention; however, the following references were considered related:
U.S. Pat. No. Inventor Issue Date 5,586,760 Hauter Dec. 24, 1996 5,443,576 Hauter Aug. 22, 1995 4,021,035 O'Hara May 3, 1977 4,354,679 Steinmetz Oct. 19, 1982 D 386,230 Gray Nov. 11, 1997 D 323,539 Cardoza Jan. 28, 1992 5,482,488 Plummer Jan. 9, 1996 4,121,829 Petrusek Oct. 24, 1978
Consequently, a need has been felt for providing a foot bag on the end of an elastic, coiled tether which automatically recoils after being kicked.